Obama at women-themed event: Women aren't an 'interest group'

4/6/12 12:19 PM EDT

President Barack Obama, at an official White House forum on women, had this to say at the outset:

"There’s been a lot of talk about women and women’s issues lately, as there should be. But I do think that the conversation has been oversimplified. Women are not some monolithic bloc. Women are not an interest group. You shouldn’t be treated that way. Women are over half this country and its workforce — not to mention 80 percent of my household, if you count my mother-in-law. And I always count my mother-in-law.

"Every decision made by those of us in public life impacts women just as much as men. And this report you all have explains some of what we’ve done to try to lift up the lives of women and girls in this country. But I’d like to spend some time talking about why we’ve done what we’ve done."

It's a bit of a turn to slam Republicans for treating women as "an interest group" at a forum targeted toward women's issues, at which you explain all of the women-specific items you've focused on. And while Republicans certainly are making efforts to combat the narrative that's developed about the GOP and women post-Sandra Fluke et al, it's not like Democrats are steering clear of focusing on women-centric issues either.